Today, I ran in the HSAA Cross Country. From the very start, I knew this race was going to be tough. The course was hilly, and I found myself in seventh place at the beginning. I could feel the challenge ahead, but I told myself to stay strong and keep pushing forward. I knew I had to pace myself well and not give up too early.

As I ran through the first half of the race, I slowly moved up the positions. I kept my focus and pushed harder with every step. Before I knew it, I had taken first place. The feeling was incredible, but I knew the hardest part was still ahead. The next section of the course was uphill, and I had to dig deep to keep my lead.

For the last two weeks, I have been training in India at Wings Stadium in Bandra. It has been a busy time, as I managed to complete nine training sessions. My longest runs were 10,000 metres and 12,000 metres. For the 12,000 metres, I finished in 59 minutes and 15 seconds, while for the 10,000 metres, I completed it in 51 minutes and 10 seconds. It felt like a lot of running, but I was proud of what I achieved during this training period.

Normally, I train twice a week, but this time, I trained four times instead. It was a big change, and I did a lot of different types of running. Some sessions focused on sprinting, which helped me with my speed, while others were all about long-distance running to build my endurance. Most of the time, I ran on my own because the rest of the group was practising hurdles. Running by myself felt a bit lonely, but it also gave me time to focus on my pace and improve my stamina.

Today, I ran in the Metropolitan League at Uxbridge. The race was supposed to be 2 kilometres, but it turned out to be just 1.95 kilometres. I knew it was going to be tough because the course was very muddy, but I was ready to give it my best shot. As the race started, I got a good start, but I quickly realised I didn’t know what I had signed up for!

About a quarter of the way through the race, we came to a very steep hill. It was so difficult that even walking seemed faster than running! I pushed through as best as I could, but it took a lot of energy. After the hill, we faced some downhill sections, but they were just as tricky. The ground was paved, and I was wearing spikes, which made it hard to get a good grip. It felt dangerous at times, but I managed to stay steady.

Today I took part in the Battersea Run Festival, held on 24th November 2024. The race was supposed to be 3 kilometres long, but it ended up being just 2.75 kilometres. Right from the start, I felt ready to give it my all. At first, I was in second place, but I quickly managed to take the lead. It felt exciting to be out front so early on, but I soon realised there weren’t many signs along the route to guide us. Because of this, I spent some time looking back to check I was going the right way. I think I lost about fifteen seconds doing that.

Even with the confusion, I stayed ahead and managed to finish in first place. I crossed the line 1 minute and 12 seconds ahead of the runner in second place. It felt amazing to win by such a big margin. The weather made the run even better. It was 18 degrees today, which felt much more comfortable compared to the freezing 2 degrees I ran in yesterday. Running in warmer weather definitely helped me enjoy the race more.